River of Tears
by Stelena-Beautiful
Summary: Steve is there for Kelly when she needs him the most. Circa Season 2 with one major change. Kelly really *was* raped at the Halloween party... A one shot.


**River of Tears**

**A Steve Sanders and Kelly Taylor story. A one shot for now though I could conceivably continue it if people say they are interested. I love Steve and Kelly in canon and AU lol**

_*****This takes place during Season 2. What if Kelly really had been raped at that infamous Halloween party?*****_

Just when she thought she had cried a river of tears, she realized that there was still at least an ocean's worth left. She stared down at the little white stick in her hand as sobs rocked her petite body. She was only sixteen, a rape victim, and now she was pregnant with her attacker's baby too. Things did not get much worse than that.

The two pink lines probably warmed most women's hearts but not Kelly's. Oh no, they made her sick all over again and she ran for the bathroom. She was on her knees in a second, worshipping the porcelain gods as Steve liked to call it. Why she was thinking of goofy Steve right now, she didn't know. They had broken up ages ago but they were still friends. And she realized, she needed a friend right now. She could easily call Brenda or Donna but she realized she wanted Steve there. She wanted his strong, broad shoulders to lean on.

School would have let out by now so she decided to call his cell phone. She heard the distinctive sound of honking as it was answered. "Damn California crazy drivers," Steve muttered and then louder, "hello?"

Kelly bit her lip. Was she making the right decision here? "Hello?" Steve said again. "I can hear you breathing."

She swallowed over the lump in her throat. "Steve," she said quietly, weakly. "I – I need you."

"Kel?"

"Yes… Can you please come over to my house? I really need to talk to someone. I cut out of school early and I took a test and – well, just come here now please."

"On my way," Steve said. "Will you be okay until I get there?"

"Yeah," Kelly said, or lied actually. "Just hurry."

"Will do."

Kelly disconnected the phone and went down the hall to her bedroom. She sat down on her bed and then noticed the offending white stick again. She quickly tossed it into the waste basket and then curled up on her bed, crying still more.

Steve showed up in the next ten minutes and immediately crawled into bed beside her. He started to reach for her but seemed to think better of it and asked instead, "Can I hold your hand?"

"Yeah," Kelly murmured. "Yeah you can." She felt her small hand gently enveloped in his much bigger one and she sighed, still keeping her back to him.

"What's wrong, Kel? Why did you leave school? Why do you smell like puke and what kind of test did you take?"

"Do you remember the Halloween party two months ago?"

"Of course. How can I forget? I found you, I carried you out of there. There was a lot of blood." Steve sounded so haunted and she bit her lip to hold back another sob. "I really wanted to kill that bastard."

"I'm glad you didn't because then – then you wouldn't be here right now," Kelly whispered and she squeezed his hand, hard as she could. "And I need you right now, Steve, I need you so much."

"I'm here and I'm not going anywhere," Steve said. "Tell me what's going on."

"The test I took … God, how do I say this?" She cried. "But I have to tell someone. I am two months late and I'm never late –"

"Late? Late for what?"

"My period, Steve!" she cried in exasperation. She lowered her voice. "Steve, my period is always like clockwork and now it's not. I keep feeling really sick. Today I almost puked on Dylan's shoes… So I went to the corner drugstore during lunch and I bought a test … A pregnancy test."

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes, Steve. I took the test right before you came and its – its true. I'm pregnant."

"Kelly…" Steve grew very quiet. A long, potent silence filled the room.

"Steve, talk to me, okay? And no jokes please."

"I can't laugh about this. Just tell me – was it Him? Is he the one who got you pregnant?"

Kelly nodded as tears slipped down her cheeks. "Yes, Steve, and I'm so scared!"

"Are you sure it's not wrong?"

"I just know it's not."

"What are you going to do? How can I help?" Steve squeezed her hand gently.

"I don't know and I don't know," she said hoarsely. "I just – when I found out… There was no one else I wanted here but you."

"Can I hold you, Kel?"

She nodded. "Hold me tight, Steve."

He lightly pulled her against him and wrapped his impossibly strong arms around her waist. He nuzzled her and she felt moisture on her neck. She knew he was crying too. It touched her heart and shattered it all at once. She hadn't seen him cry since the night his mom had come out. The same night she and Steve had had a horrible fight. Steve had been sure that Kelly no longer wanted him around and he'd said some awful things to her in his drunken state. She had forgiven him though and she knew even if she hadn't, him being here right now, being so strong for her, would have wiped their bitter past all away. He was wonderful to her. She didn't deserve it but he still was here.

"What am I going to do, Steve?" She asked.

He lightly brushed his fingers through her mussed blonde hair. "I don't know, Kel, but whatever you decide, just know you don't have to go through it alone. I am gunna be right by your side until you get sick of the sight of me."

"Thank you, Steve."

"Anytime, Kel, anytime."


End file.
